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The breath-taking vision of Gyula Tornai’s Dance of Salomé will make its debut on the international art market in the 19th Century European Art sale after having been bought from the artist by an Emperor. Here, specialist Arne Everwijn talks to us about this tremendous work of art.

Salomé is a popular subject in art and literature. What is the story of this biblical figure?

According to Mark 6:21-29, Salomé was the step-daughter of Herod who asks her to dance for him and offers in return the fulfilment of any wish, ‘unto the half of [his] kingdom.’ Salomé, having enchanted Herod with her dance, demands the head of John the Baptist; the fulfilment of that wish is what we see here. The story had a particularly strong following in the 19th century through works such as Heinrich Herne’s satiric poem Atta Trol (1841) and Oscar Wilde’s sensational play Salomé (1893) which was later to form the libretto for an opera by Strauss.

Talk us through the provenance of this work.

In 1903 this painting was given as a wedding present from the Emperor Franz-Josef of Austria, to his granddaughter, Archduchess Elisabeth, the only child of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Princess Stéphanie, daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium. The painting’s outstanding artistry and quality was recognised by Tornai’s contemporaries and is reflected in its Imperial, Royal and aristocratic provenance. It has remained in the same family ever since.

Tell us about Tornai’s popularity during his life.

Gyula Tornai was born in 1861, and received his artistic education at the academies in Vienna, Munich and Budapest. He exhibited in London, Paris, Budapest and at the Salon in 1917. He began his career painting hugely popular genre scenes in the late 19th century, but after his travels to India, China, Japan and Morocco his themes changed to exotic places and the customs of those destinations. Tornai stayed in Tangier for a year and in 1900 he exhibited pictures in the Exposition Universelle in Paris to great acclaim, winning the bronze medal.

Who of Tornai’s influences can be seen in this work?

The complex nature of this painting shows the strong influence of the great Viennese master Hans Makart. Even the tonality demonstrates his aesthetic sway over Gyula Tornai, adding a unique art-historical dimension to this work. The ‘Makartstil’, which determined the culture of an entire era in Vienna, was an aestheticism the likes of which hadn’t been seen before. Called the ‘magician of colours’, he painted in brilliant hues and fluid forms, which placed the design and the aesthetic of the work before all else.

What is your personal reaction to this work, as someone who encounters masterpieces frequently?

To me this work represents the apex, the masterpiece in the oeuvre of this artist. The first time I saw it, it dominated a wall at the client’s house, it literally took my breath away. It has such amazing wall presence, such strength of character. It encompasses all the painterly skill, the dramatic verisimilitude and the intense aesthetic quality that has drawn me to art in general and to the work of the great mastersof the 19th century in particular.